Happy 2016! With the New Year, there come new training opportunities for you and your organization through MPAW’s Regional Trainings, underwritten by the generous support of the Kenneth A. Scott Charitable Trust, a KeyBank Trust. In an effort to make sure our attendees are getting the types of training they need most, we ask you to take the time to fill out the following survey:

Congratulations to Laurie Horn, survey respondent and winner of the random drawing for a free registration for the 2016 Great Lakes Animal Welfare Conference! Thank you to all of you who completed the survey and provided your feedback. We are already in the process of planning for next year, and we’re going to consider all of your input very carefully in that process. The survey will remain open through the end of this week, so if you haven’t had a chance, please visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/N5TCKG2 to let us know your thoughts. Thank you again, and we hope to see you at the 2016 Great Lakes Animal Welfare Conference!

We are thrilled to report that with two weeks to go before the 2015 Great Lakes Animal Welfare Conference, there are fewer than 25 spots left! If you are interested in attending this fun and informative two-day conference at the beautiful FireKeepers Hotel & Casino featuring excellent speakers and sessions on a wide array of topics, including Adoptions, Companion Animals, Shelter Medicine, Community Outreach, Field Services, Fundraising, Operations, Leadership, Public Relations, and Legislation, please register TODAY! Online registration is available at

Michigan Legislative Conference Call: Wednesday, June 17, from 2:00-3:00 p.m.
Phone: 248-687-7000
Code: 810386
Are you interested in learning about animal-related legislation in Michigan? Do you want to know how you or your organization can get involved to support or oppose legislation that impacts you? Please join us for an informational conference call co-hosted by MHS, the State Bar of Michigan Animal Law Section, and MAACO with representatives from the ASPCA and HSUS.

Animal Care Expo 2015 registration is open! The premier national conference for animal welfare professionals is taking over New Orleans, March 30-April 2, 2015. View the conference schedule and register now!

Join 2,000 animal care experts, professionals and newbies from around the globe to learn new skills and strategies to find pets homes, keep pets in homes, engage your community, humanely manage cat populations, and more! Expo 2015 is sure to be extra special as we reflect on the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and the continuing efforts to make disaster preparedness for animals a key priority. Get ready to recharge your passion for saving animals!

Expo is already the most cost-effective educational opportunity in animal welfare, now through January 31st, get an extra $25 off full conference registration with code SDEX15.

Do you know what constitutes animal cruelty in Michigan? How are the different types of cruelty investigated and by whom? How and when should you report cruelty, and what steps can you take to ensure your evidence will be useful? These questions and more will be answered in a presentation by Michigan Humane Society’s Detroit Animal Care Center Director and Chief Investigator Debby MacDonald. Debby’s many years in the field and overseeing the MHS Cruelty Investigation and Emergency Rescue teams give her a unique perspective on the development and prosecution of animal cruelty cases. She developed this class specifically for staff and volunteers of animal shelters, rescue groups and interested community members who are not law enforcement but who may encounter animal suffering in their work or volunteer outreach. It is appropriate for animal organizations that do not investigate cruelty but that need to be able to give good information to community members about what constitutes cruelty and what to do about it.

Understanding the law and how to safely gather evidence and report it in a timely manner to the right people can mean the difference between life and death for animals. At the same time, investigative techniques and processes must be followed. Relationships between law enforcement, cruelty investigators, and local prosecutors are critical links in cruelty cases. Some situations can be resolved with education; others require stronger interventions. Debby will help you understand the parameters of investigation so that you can be knowledgeable and helpful to the process. Her talk will be at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 28th, at the upcoming MPAW-MAACO Animal Welfare Conference in Mt. Pleasant. Registration for the conference is still open, but it is filling up quickly! You can register online HERE or fax your registration form to 248-283-1001.

At long last, HB5095, the bill that regulates large-scale dog breeders and standardizes stray holds in shelters is up for a vote in the Michigan House! But your voice matters. Can you make a call by Monday to urge your representative to vote the way you believe is right for animals? HB5095 would require commercial dog breeders with more than 15 adult breeding female dogs to register with the state and follow basic animal care guidelines. These same guidelines are already in place for our state’s animal shelters. The bill would also establish minimum holding times for stray animals coming to shelters: 4 days for those without traceable identification, 7 days with identification. It also requires shelters to trace microchips.

These issues are the same ones in SB560, which has been stalled in Senate Agriculture Committee for months. Movement through the House can help pressure the Senate to finally act. If you live in the following districts, your representatives especially need to hear from animal people NOW:

Equine Welfare Workshop from the ASPCA Equine Fund
Denver, CO
Saturday, August 2
Are you looking for new funding sources for your programs? Is your board the engaged workhorse you need, or is it out to pasture? Do you want to pursue national accreditation but feel intimidated by the process?
Join the ASPCA Equine Fund at a day-long equine welfare workshop, designed to give you the tools you need to take your equine welfare efforts to the next level. Come and learn about:
• Building a better board
• Proven fundraising strategies
• The nuts and bolts of achieving national accreditation
• Using social media to build support for your mission
Only $25 Per Person
Thanks to a generous grant from the Rosalind and Franklyn Schaefer Family, registration is only $25 to attend. Travel stipends of up to $350 are available for qualifying groups.

We encourage multiple representatives from groups to attend so that you can work together to implement the valuable strategies you will learn.
Questions about the workshop or interested in a travel stipend? Email us for more information.
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Where: Embassy Suites – Denver Southeast 7525 East Hampden Avenue, Denver, CO 80231
When: Saturday, August 2 from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm MDT
Fee: $25 per person
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Michigan SB0990 – Adoption of Animals Used for Fighting
On June 11, 2014 this senate bill was introduced by Senator John Pappageorge. It concerns allowing the adoption of certain seized animals used in fighting operations.